Glad you're here! Whether you're just getting started with automotive painting or you've been spraying for years, this community is built to help you learn, improve, and connect with other painters who enjoy the craft. Take a minute to introduce yourself by leaving a comment below. We'd love to get to know you! Tell us: ✅ Your full name ✅ Where you're based ✅ A little about your background ✅ What brought you to Make It Match (or what you're hoping to learn) ✅ What's one paint job you've seen that you'll never forget? Everyone starts somewhere, and introductions are a great way to meet other members. Welcome aboard! 🎉

I just uploaded a video covering 5 masking techniques I wish I knew 20 years ago when I first started painting. None of these are crazy tricks. They're just simple things I do on almost every paint job that save time, make blending easier, and help avoid those "well... that was dumb" moments. 😅 If you're doing spot repairs or just want cleaner results without making more work for yourself, I think it might be helpful

I intent to apply a sealer before my base coat. My question is should I apply an epoxy sealer or a urethane. I know the epoxy is best if I have any burn throughs in the primer. However with modern technology is it acceptable to use a urethane sealer if it is rated dtm? I’ve seen a lot of arguments against any urethane with a dtm label.

Just curious what you guys and gals all think of what the most important skill is an automotive painting?

A friend of mine on the other side of Finland is doing a nut-and-bolt restoration of an early ‘70s Opel Diplomat. He chose to paint the car with Tikkurila Temadur 90, an industrial 2K polyurethane that’s a single-stage silver metallic. He’s not happy with the result, mainly because of tiger striping. From what I’ve been able to find, he used a generic, inexpensive thinner that appears to have been a fast thinner. He also sprayed the car with a sub-$100 bottom-feed spray gun (probably not ideal! 🤣). He knows I’ve been trying to learn automotive painting and has invited me to respray the car. I plan to use an Iwata WS-400 Series 2.1 Clear gun with either a 1.3 HD or 1.4 HD setup. I’ll spray a number of test panels in my shop before driving over to paint the car. I’ve already picked up some slow thinner for the test panels, as I think it may help reduce tiger striping, especially since it’s a relatively large car. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I’ve only sprayed one complete car before, and that was more than 30 years ago. The doors will be installed, but the hood, trunk lid, and sunroof will be sprayed separately on stands.